Tennis is a racket sport played between two players (singles) or two pairs (doubles) on a rectangular court divided by a net. The modern outdoor game, originally called lawn tennis, was patented in England in 1874 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, who adapted the older indoor game of real tennis for play on grass with rubber balls that could bounce. Real tennis itself, also called jeu de paume, traces to French monastery courtyards around the twelfth century, where it began as a handball game played against walls before rackets were introduced around the sixteenth century, so the sport carries two distinct origin points depending on whether the ancient handball ancestor or the modern codified outdoor game is meant. Scoring is counted in points named love, fifteen, thirty and forty within a game, a game won by reaching forty with a two-point margin (or by winning consecutive points from deuce, forty-all); games accumulate into sets, ordinarily won by the first side to six games with a two-game margin, and a match is won by the first side to take a majority of sets, best-of-three in most competition and best-of-five in the men's draw at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Origin YearMarks the approximate twelfth-century French origin of real tennis (jeu de paume), the older ancestor game the entity-description already names; the entity's primary origin-year (1874) records Major Walter Wingfield's later lawn-tennis patent instead. Originating RegionFrance (for the medieval jeu de paume ancestor); England (for the 1874 modern codification) 4 International Governing BodyThe International Tennis Federation, founded 1913, headquartered in London, United Kingdom. 4 Disputed
Origin Year1874 is the year Major Walter Clopton Wingfield patented the modern outdoor lawn tennis game in England, taken here as the sport codified origin. The much older ancestor game, real tennis or jeu de paume, traces to French monastery courtyards around the twelfth century as a handball game, centuries before rackets or the modern lawn version existed, so which date counts as tennis true origin depends on which game is meant. Identity
SymbolA strung racket used to strike a hollow felt-covered rubber ball over a net. 1 Classification
Olympic Programme Status Tennis
Filter Results4 entries
Connections
Ancestor Of
Pickleball, Sports Borrowed a tennis-height net; not a lineage claim.
Source Pickleball - Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia, Table Tennis
Featured In
Source Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Source Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Source Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Source Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Source Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Source Wikipedia, 1992 Summer Olympics
Source Wikipedia, 1996 Summer Olympics
Source Australian Open, Official History
Source Roland Garros (French Open), Official History
Source International Olympic Committee, Official Olympic History Reference
Source International Paralympic Committee, Official History
Source US Open, Official History (Tennis)
Source The Championships, Wimbledon, Official History
Governed By
Source Wikipedia, International Tennis Federation
Long-Form Articles
Played By
Source Wikipedia: Andre Agassi
Source Angelique Kerber (Wikipedia)
Source Anna Kournikova (Wikipedia)
Source Barbora Strýcová (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Boris Becker (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia, Guillermo Vilas
Source Hana Mandlíková (Wikipedia)
Source Hana Mandlíková (Wikipedia)
Source Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Wikipedia)
Source Lleyton Hewitt (Wikipedia)
Source Manuel Orantes (Wikipedia)
Source Marat Safin (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Pete Sampras
Source René Lacoste (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Rod Laver
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Simona Halep (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Venus Williams
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Europe, found in there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Tennis
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
The modern form of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis.
lead section
Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net
View the Source 2. Tennis at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia)
3. Wikipedia, Real Tennis
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Real tennis evolved, over three centuries, from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France.
4. Encyclopaedia Britannica
International Olympic Committee, Official Olympic History Reference
International Olympic CommitteeFeatured In: Olympic Games
The Championships, Wimbledon, Official History
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet ClubFeatured In: Wimbledon
International Paralympic Committee, Official History
International Paralympic CommitteeFeatured In: Paralympic Games
Australian Open, Official History
Tennis AustraliaFeatured In: Australian Open
Roland Garros (French Open), Official History
Federation Francaise de TennisFeatured In: French Open
US Open, Official History (Tennis)
United States Tennis AssociationFeatured In: US Open (Tennis)
Wikipedia, International Tennis Federation
Wikimedia FoundationGoverned By: International Tennis Federation (ITF)View the Source Padel (sport) - Wikipedia
Ancestor Of: Padel, Lead sectionQuote, Ancestor Of: Padel, Lead section
is a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash
Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1900 Summer Olympics, Lead sectionQuote, Featured In: 1900 Summer Olympics, Lead section
Four tennis events were contested at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1904 Summer Olympics, Lead sectionQuote, Featured In: 1904 Summer Olympics, Lead section
Two events in tennis were contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St.
Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1908 Summer Olympics, Lead sectionQuote, Featured In: 1908 Summer Olympics, Lead section
Six tennis events were contested at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom.
Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1912 Summer Olympics, Lead sectionQuote, Featured In: 1912 Summer Olympics, Lead section
At the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden eight tennis events were contested divided over two tournaments; an indoor covered courts tournament, played on wood, held from May 5 until May 12 and an outdoor hard court tournament, played on clay, held from June 28 until July 5.
Wikipedia: Tennis at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1924 Summer Olympics, Lead sectionQuote, Featured In: 1924 Summer Olympics, Lead section
Final results of the tennis competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Pickleball - Wikipedia
Ancestor Of: Pickleball, EtymologyQuote, Ancestor Of: Pickleball, Etymology
the game of pickleball was created from leftover equipment from several sports; a badminton court, paddleball paddles, a wiffle ball and a net height like that of tennis.
Wikipedia, Table Tennis
Wikimedia FoundationAncestor Of: Table Tennis, IntroductionQuote, Ancestor Of: Table Tennis, Introduction
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the court on which players stand.
Wikipedia, 1992 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1992 Summer Olympics, HighlightsQuote, Featured In: 1992 Summer Olympics, Highlights
Jennifer Capriati won the singles tennis competition at the age of 16.
Wikipedia, 1996 Summer Olympics
Featured In: 1996 Summer Olympics, Sports contested list with event countsQuote, Featured In: 1996 Summer Olympics, Sports contested list with event counts
Tennis (4)
Wikipedia: Pete Sampras
Played By: Pete Sampras, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Pete Sampras, lead paragraph, plays
Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is an American former professional tennis player.
Wikipedia: Rod Laver
Played By: Rod Laver, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Rod Laver, lead paragraph, plays
Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former professional tennis player.
Wikipedia: Venus Williams
Played By: Venus Williams, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Venus Williams, lead paragraph, plays
Venus Ebony Star Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player.
Wikipedia: Andre Agassi
WikipediaPlayed By: Andre Agassi, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Andre Agassi, lead paragraph, plays
Andre Kirk Agassi ( AG-ə-see; born April 29, 1970) is an American former professional tennis player.
Wikipedia, Guillermo Vilas
Played By: Guillermo Vilas, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Guillermo Vilas, lead paragraph, plays
Guillermo Vilas (locally [ɡiˈʒeɾmo ˈβilas]; Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [ɡiˈʝeɾmo ˈβilas]; born 17 August 1952) is an Argentine former professional tennis player.
Angelique Kerber (Wikipedia)
Played By: Angelique Kerber, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Angelique Kerber, lead paragraph, plays
Angelique Kerber (German: [ʔan.d͡ʒɛˈliːk ˈkɛɐ̯bɐ] ; born 18 January 1988) is a German former professional tennis player.
Marat Safin (Wikipedia)
Played By: Marat Safin, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Marat Safin, lead paragraph, plays
Marat Mubinovich Safin (%5B%5BWikipedia%3ATemplates+for+discussion%2FLog%2F2025+April+17%23Template%3ALang-rus%5D%5D{}</noinclude>Russian: Мара́т Муби́нович Са́фин, IPA: [mɐˈrat ˈsafʲɪn]; Tatar: Марат Мөбин улы Сафин, romanized: Marat Möbin ulı Safin; born 27 January 1980) is a Russian
Anna Kournikova (Wikipedia)
Played By: Anna Kournikova, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Anna Kournikova, lead paragraph, plays
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova Iglesias (née Kournikova; Russian: Анна Сергеевна Курникова; Russian: [ˈanːə sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvnə ˈkurnʲɪkəvə] ; born 7 June 1981) is a Russian model and television personality, and former professional tennis player.
Simona Halep (Wikipedia)
Played By: Simona Halep, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Simona Halep, lead paragraph, plays
Simona Halep (Romanian pronunciation: [siˈmona haˈlep]; born 27 September 1991) is a Romanian former professional tennis player.
Barbora Strýcová (Wikipedia)
Played By: Barbora Strýcová, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Barbora Strýcová, lead paragraph, plays
Barbora Strýcová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbarbora ˈstriːtsovaː]; born 28 March 1986), formerly known as Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, is a Czech former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles.
René Lacoste (Wikipedia)
Played By: René Lacoste, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: René Lacoste, lead paragraph, plays
Jean René Lacoste (French pronunciation: [ʁəne lakɔst]; 2 July 1904-12 October 1996) was a French tennis player and businessman.
Lleyton Hewitt (Wikipedia)
Played By: Lleyton Hewitt, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Lleyton Hewitt, lead paragraph, plays
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Wikipedia)
Played By: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, lead paragraph, plays
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (French pronunciation: [ʒo wilfʁid tsɔŋɡa]; born 17 April 1985) is a French former professional tennis player.
Hana Mandlíková (Wikipedia)
Played By: Hana Mandlíková, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Hana Mandlíková, lead paragraph, plays
Hana Mandlíková (born 19 February 1962) is a Czech-Australian former professional tennis player.
Boris Becker (Wikipedia)
Played By: Boris Becker, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Boris Becker, lead paragraph, plays
Boris Franz Becker (German: [ˈboːʁɪs ˈbɛkɐ] ; born 22 November 1967) is a German former professional tennis player, tennis coach and a commentator.
Manuel Orantes (Wikipedia)
Played By: Manuel Orantes, lead paragraph, playsQuote, Played By: Manuel Orantes, lead paragraph, plays
Manuel Orantes Corral (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈnwel oˈɾantes koˈral]; born 6 February 1949) is a Spanish former professional tennis player.
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